


Wizarding Cousins

by seri-kun (vanijane)



Series: House Made [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But with Dudley VS Harry, Eventual Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Gryffindor Dudley, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Rivalry, M/M, Magical Dudley Dursley, Protective Slytherins, Slytherin Harry, Slytherin Loyalty at its Finest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-04 04:25:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5320373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanijane/pseuds/seri-kun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>**08/02/16 Currently being re-written**</b><br/>
<br/>
Arriving with Dudley at Hogwarts, Harry isn't as excited as he should be. Not when he'd been stuck with his cousin during the entire train ride, which had resulted in Dudley yelling at anyone who tried to sit with them (because they were all freaks!). But not all hope is lost when Harry shares a boat with three other children sans Dudley and finds out about getting sorted into houses.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Alternatively, the fic where Dudley is a wizard in Hogwarts while Harry is the famous Boy Who Lived, and how those facts are going to affect the lives of both boys.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've always been a sucker for bullying fics where either the abuser gets to abuse their victim more, or where the victim gets to pull the tables on their abuser (and they may or may not become an abuser in the end). Though rest assured, this fic won't turn too dark. I plan to have it as lighthearted as possible for the theme. That said, the fic will basically delve into the years both Harry and Dudley spend in Hogwarts.  
>    
>  For this fic, please expect a lot of bullying from Dudley and Harry either ignoring it or trying to avoid Dudley's "punishments". As well as a lot of loyal Slytherins protecting their kin.  
>    
>  This will not be a complete retelling of the novels, as that is a great project I can't see myself accomplishing in the near future. Most likely, I will only write about highlighted events for each year.

Petunia Dursley had always dreaded the day Harry's Hogwarts letter would arrive. It reminded her of the foolishness her own parents and sisters possessed-- what was so special about being a witch? She left home quite young, meeting Vernon and entwining their lives together, getting as far away as possible from her family. She'd eventually told him and she was more than glad that he shared her world views. If she were a romantic, she would agree that she found her soulmate in him.

What they didn't expect in their completely normal and safe life was that they were forced to raise Harry along with their son. Harry was a freak much like Lily and more so like his father, James Potter. The Dursleys would have left him out to die if it were a choice they could make, but they couldn't afford that and had to live with raising a freak.

By the time Dudley and Harry's eleventh year came along, Petunia had mostly forgotten about the dreaded letters. She was busy with Dudley's birthday and with the summer in full swing, all her time was spent on looking after Dudley and making sure Harry wouldn't embarrass them or god forbid, use magic  _again_ . However the inevitable matter was forced upon them one fateful morning where Harry had brought the post to Vernon, who had immediately inspected the letters until he came upon two identical letters if not only for the addressees.

_Mr. H. Potter_  
_The Cupboard under the Stairs_  
_4 Privet Drive_  
_Little Whinging_  
_Surrey_

And to his utmost horror--

_Mr. D. Dursley_  
_The 2nd Floor Bedroom to the Right_  
_4 Privet Drive_  
_Little Whinging_  
_Surrey_

Vernon's face had turned red in anger then pale white in shock and disbelief. Petunia had immediately realized what the letters were, having seen them for every summer her sister was at home, but only when she'd taken them from Vernon did she fully understand the implications: Dudley was magical, a freak.

They argued for days, how were they to deal with this. Petunia wouldn't allow Dudley to ever leave, Vernon didn't want anything to do with this...wizarding business but he didn't want to believe their Dudley was like Harry. Yet as the days passed, more letters arrived and for each time, Vernon threw them in the fireplace, choosing to ignore the Hogwarts summons until they were once again forced to face the unnatural when they were attacked by thousands of letters flying in their living room. Vernon immediately moved them out-- they would stay away from home until all this madness ended.

When a towering giant arrived in the middle of the night and revealed to Harry and Dudley their magical inheritance, Vernon would have shot him if said-giant hadn't so easily bent his rifle useless. The giant was quick to put the blame on them and had told both Harry and Dudley to accompany him, to Diagon Alley he'd said and Vernon sputtered incoherently as Petunia shrieked her cries. No one was taking Dudley away from them--

* * *

\--Hagrid let out a heavy breath as he came back from the vaults with Harry, his eyes immediately landing on the thr Dursleys who had finished exchanging their pounds for wizarding currency. He would jump to his death for Dumbledore without a thought but accompanying the Dursleys had to be the one thing Hagrid had ever regretted agreeing to and would deny to do in the future. He was amazed how Harry managed to live with those muggles for all his life.

Throughout the day, Hagrid led them around Diagon Alley, keeping most of his complaints to himself and Harry, who tried not to laugh. While he thought this would be a great, magical day for Harry, it was dampened by the presence of the Dursleys. He had to make it to the boy somehow and when they were trying out wands, Hagrid went out of his way to purchase another birthday gift for Harry: a lovely snow white owl.

Harry was happy, the Dursleys were not. But it was worth it to see the bright grin on Harry's face, Hagrid thought. Before departing from them (and it was hard, seeing the guarded look Harry wore again), Hagrid had given them specific instructions about thr Hogwarts Express and threatened how they would be hunted down if they missed the train (he lied, but no one would ever know). With a heavy heart, he squeezed Harry's shoulder and left, hoping to see the boy in a few days.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arriving with Dudley at Hogwarts, Harry isn't as excited as he should be. Not when he'd been stuck with his cousin during the entire train ride, which had resulted in Dudley yelling at anyone who tried to sit with them (because they were all freaks!). But not all hope is lost when Harry shares a boat with three other children sans Dudley and finds out about getting sorted into houses.

Harry sat across Dudley in their shared compartment, his cousin babbling and complaining about how the other students were freaks and that the train ride was outdated. With no other safe option, Harry made small sounds of agreement whenever needed but kept his opinions to himself. It wasn't so bad-- the other students were excited much like how he was and he'd never been on a train before nor had he seen anything outside of London. But he fought the urge to actually show it, fearing that Dudley might hurt him if he did.

Looking out the window, he held back a wistful sigh. All his life, he'd been called a freak for reasons he didn't understand. The moment he was told he was a wizard, he'd thought that was it-- they treated him differently because of magic! But Dudley was a wizard, too and neither his uncle nor aunt treated him differently. Harry eventually decided to rule it out as being born a freak (as he had so often been told). The first person (aside from Hagrid) who'd actually treated him civilly (or as civil as Harry knew) was the blond boy he'd met at Madam Malkin's, though they parted with a promise to meet up later, Harry didn't see him when he'd been looking for an empty compartment.

During the ride, a red head with soot over his nose had knocked, asking for a seat however before Harry could answer a positive, Dudley had already barked at him to leave. The red head looked frightened at the sudden outburst and didn't waste any other second to leave. Harry inwardly sighed as he thought about how things weren't going to change-- even if the words his (hopefully) new blond friend were too tempting to believe.

Harry tuned Dudley's voice out when he began to insult the red-head, nodding absentmindedly to appease his cousin. With his hope rapidly running out, Harry silently wished for _anything_ that would keep him away from his cousin.

* * *

They had changed into their robes shortly before detraining. It was dark by the time they stepped outside and Harry heard a familiar voice call out, "first years! First years over here!"

Dudley was a bit stubborn, complaints flying out of his mouth in hushed whispers and hisses before he paid attention to Hagrid's instructions. Harry quietly trailed behind him, thankful for the darkness that could mask the amazement reflected on his face at the sight of the great castle before them.

Hagrid continue to call for the first years as he carefully led them towards a large black lake where several boats with lit lanturns were waiting.

"Watch your steps! No more than four in a boat!" He instructed as the first set of students began boarding the boats. As soon as a boat was filled, it drifted further into the lake but didn't float too far away as an empty boat neared the shore.

As they fell in line, Dudley had started getting impatient by loudly stomping his foot down or swinging his fisted hands on his sides. Harry had heard a few snickers behind him and suddenly felt both embarrassed for Dudley as well as amusement because someone actually laughed at Dudley infront of him (no one ever dared to go against Dudley in their previous non-magical schools).

Harry had thought there was no escaping Dudley (or his family) for even a moment when finally, it was Dudley's turn to step into a boat and he'd been the fourth passenger. A small ray of hope bloomed in Harry's chest as the boat drifted away, carrying with it his cousin who was giving him a death glare. Harry felt strangely smug about it even though a part of him told him he would pay for it later. Though when he saw the wink Hagrid gave him as a new boat arrived, Harry thought this short moment of freedom would be worth it.

As he settled onto the boat, he was surprised to see the blond boy he'd met a few days earlier. Though he didn't seem to recognise Harry at first and so had kept quiet. It was only a little later when they were almost halfway through the lake that he'd called Harry's attention, effectively cutting off the bob-haired girl who had been babbling about what sounded to be a lengthy summary of her summer.

"We've met before, haven't we?" The blond said with some surprise in his voice. Harry looked at him, suddenly shy as he nodded. "Ah, then that loud banshee earlier was your cousin, wasn't he?"

Again, Harry nodded quietly and the blond responded with a shake of his head as the girl loudly commented, "you're related to that troll?!"

Harry's cheeks heated up in embarrassment and tried to hide it, even though he was almost sure they wouldn't be able to see it under the dim lighting.

"Unfortunate, isn't it?" The blond answered before turning back to Harry, holding out his hand, "we haven't properly introduced ourselves. Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

"Oh! Um, pleased to meet you er...again," Harry said as he jerkly took Draco's hand and shook it. Before he could introduce himself however, the girl had held out her hand and Harry shyly shook it.

"Pansy Parkinson," she said with a smug look before jerking her head towards their other companion, "and he's Blaise Zabini."

"It's nice to meet you," Harry said as he shook hands with Blaise. "I'm um, Harry-- Harry Potter."

As he let go of Blaise's hand, it fell and Harry was quickly aware of the wide-eyed looks being directed at him. He inhaled deeply, bracing himself as he wondered what he'd done wrong and what they'd do to him because of it.

"So it's true then?" Draco said, breaking the silence with his voice edged with a hint of excitement. "Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."

Harry was startled at the recognition. Though he'd been warned by Hagrid about his fame, he didn't really believe it, not when he'd been a nobody freak all his life. And now, this sudden fame was starting to make him feel uncomfortable.

"Wait-- if you're _the_ Harry Potter," Pansy started off, voice thick with suspicion as she eyed him the same, "why were you carrying that troll's luggage?"

"Um..."

A heavy sigh came from Blaise, as if he was tired of this and said to Harry, "show us the scar, mate. Pansy might just shut up if you do."

Pansy made a move to shove Blaise however the taller boy managed to keep himself onboard. Harry smiled a little at their antics before realising that Draco hadn't turned his look away from him, waiting for him to bare his scar to them. Feeling suddenly self-conscious as Pansy and Blaise looked at him expectantly, Harry brushed back his hair to reveal his now famous scar (one that had been one of the many causes of ridicule in his previous school). He was caught off guard at their sudden intake of breath and fixation on his scar, not expecting such degree of a reaction.

"So you _are_ Harry Potter!" Pansy proclaimed enthusiastically.

Draco made a sort-of pained noise as he shook his head, "of course he is, Pansy." Then to Harry, he smiled coolly, "have you thought of a house yet, Harry?"

"House?" Harry repeated questioningly, "I beg your pardon?"

"The sorting ceremony!" Pansy said rather enthusiastically, "which house would you prefer to be sorted in? I fancy myself a Slytherin, if I may."

"The Malfoy family has always been in Slytherin," Draco added followed by Blaise's casual remark of, "Slytherin here, too."

"Um..." Harry felt conscious at how uninformed he was and fidgetted with his fingers as his palms began to sweat. "I er...Slytherin? What...is that?"

Pansy blinked, "the Houses? The Four Houses of Hogwarts? Slytherin is one of them, then there's Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw-- don't tell me you don't know about it!"

"I...I'm afraid I don't," he answered meekly, ducking his head and looking away from his companions. "I never knew magic existed until a few days ago."

The revelation seemed to shock the three other children, with Pansy demanding an explanation. As Harry struggled to find a way to explain, Draco spoke and Harry was quickly grateful for him.

"It's because of those muggles, isn't it?" The blond said with a frown, "they raised you and never told you about magic?"

"How despicable!" Pansy gasped, suddenly looking sympathetic and insulted at the same time. How she managed to pull it off, Harry did not know.

"That's muggles for you," Blaise commented, "nothing good ever comes from them."

"Well," Draco huffed however a frown was still present on his face, "you're with friends now, Harry. Forget about those muggles from now on."

Harry couldn't help but smile at that statement-- _friends_. He'd never had those before, nor had he been given the luxury to just forget his uncle and aunt or his cousin. But his newfound friends gave him hope and when Hagrid announced that they arrived, Harry didn't even dread reuniting with Dudley as much.

* * *

Harry had been immediately yanked away from his friends by Dudley as Hagrid handed the first years to another teacher who then led them inside the castle. Another teacher met them, this time an elderly woman with a stern look and a pointed hat. She explained to them the Sorting Ceremony as well as some general house rules they needed to follow and abide by. Once she finished, she led the students into the Great Hall where the older students sat amongst their houses in long tables and at the end of the hall sat the teachers, before them sat a tattered black hat on a stool.

Professor McGonagall (the stern looking professor) stopped before the hat and gave a short introduction for the sorting ceremony to begin. The hall fell quiet as the hat began to sing a song about the houses, entertaining the first years with the tune. As soon as the hat finished his piece, Professor McGonagall informed them of how the ceremony worked and began to call the names of first year students.

When the professor called Dudley's name, Harry inhaled deeply and held it. He watched as Dudley came infront to sit upon the stool, face scrunched in a manner Harry could only describe as a look between cowardice and trying to look smug. At the back of his head, he thought how his friends from the boat ride were far better at sporting a smug look. The hat was placed on his cousin's head and for moments Harry waited until the announcement was made--

"GRYFFINDOR!"

There was an eruption of cheers from the Gryffindor table as Dudley made his way towards them, a smug look on his face and Harry immediately dreaded the thought of being sorted into Gryffindor.

He watched as Draco, who came a little bit later, walked up to the front. He seemed calm and completely at ease unlike most of the other students, as if he had some leverage over the others. In some degree of awe, Harry noted that the hat barely touched Draco's head when it loudly announced, "SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table erupted in cheers, mostly claps than catcalls as Draco made his way towards the table. He'd passed by Harry on the way, smiling coolly at him before continuing on.

As Harry waited for his name to be called, he realised Blaise and Pansy had moved to stand next to him. Pansy gently bumped their shoulders and gave Harry a bright smile when he noticed them. Pansy was in the middle of telling him something about the student now being sorted-- Theodore Nott-- when his eyes drifted away amongst the teachers and Harry winced, his hand automatically shooting up to caress his now burning scar.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Pansy asked with a worried whisper that had Blaise turning to look at them questioningly.

"Nothing...nothing, I'm fine." He answered though kept his eyes on the dark clothed teacher who seemed to stare at him intently before turning away to look beside him.

Pansy followed his gaze with a concerned frown as Blaise shrugged, taking Harry's word for it. She was about to say something regarding the matter but her name had been called and she gave him a wink before walking up to get sorted. As Harry watched her, he swallowed a lump on his throat as the thought _what if we won't be in the same houses_ crossed his mind. The worry over not being with his friends suddenly outweighing whatever strange reaction he had earlier towards one of his professors. 

"SLYTHERIN!" It announced and Pansy made a graceful, if not smug, curtsy as Slytherin cheered for her. As soon as she took a seat opposite to Draco, the next student was called.

Pansy was lucky or fortunate, Harry thought but he wasn't so sure about himself. His friends had claimed their families had a long history in Slytherin, but Harry didn't know anything about his except that Dudley was sorted in Gryffindor and he just didn't want anything to do with that house. His nerves must have shown on his face because Harry felt a pat on his back and he turned to Blaise, who offered him a toothy grin.

"Don't worry about it," he whispered and Harry wanted to, he really did but before he knew it, his name had been called. As he was sure his panic reflected on his face, Blaise patted him again and said, "relax!"

Harry inhaled deeply, nodding jerkily before slowly getting up on the stool. In his panicked state, he didn't even realize that the hall had fallen quiet, with everyone's attention locked on him.

" _Hmm, difficult. VERY difficult,_ " a voice whispered in his ear and Harry couldn't help jerking from the shock of it, " _plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh yes. And a thirst to prove yourself. But where to put you? You would do well in Gryffindor-- but you could be great, you know. It's all here in your head. And Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, there's no doubt about that. Hmm? Well, then it seems we've made a decision--_ "

"SLYTHERIN!"

As soon as the announcement was made, Harry let out a huge sigh of relief and didn't notice how the room fell even quieter before a clap came from the Slytherin table, prompting the cheering of the rest as the whispering from other tables began. Harry made his way towards his table with his chest thundering. He found Draco and Pansy, the both of them sporting the widest smiles he couldn't help but return. As soon as he got close, Pansy gave him a tight hug before he settled down to sit beside Draco. All three of them looking quite pleased with the sorting decision.

Blaise was the last to be sorted amongst the first years and joined his friends in the Slytherin table, choosing to sit beside Pansy. As soon as he took his seat, Headmaster Dumbledore gave a speech welcoming the students before signaling the start of dinner, where food suddenly appeared lavishly on the tables. The students wasted no time in enjoying the feast and once they got over their excited high at all the food, they began to break out in conversation.

At first Harry was contented to just listen to the chatter around him, especially paying attention to anything they said about magic or classes. It was only until later when one of the third years seated close to them asked about Harry and he was suddenly at the centre of all the attention. He was intimidated by the sudden interest but eventually got in stride and was conversing happily with the rest. He didn't notice that it had gotten late and the prefects had to lead them back to their common rooms.

* * *

The Slytherin common room was located in the dungeons and for a moment, the cupboard flashed into his head and he began to dread the walk towards their 'home'. Pansy had, at some point, hooked their arms together and was happily chatting with other Slytherins though Harry had tuned them out until--

"I heard you can even see the Giant Squid amongst other things," one of the first year girls said with some tone of conspiracy in her voice.

"Giant squid?" Harry croaked out in mild panic.

"Yes!" Pansy answered with a cheery grin before she stopped and rolled her eyes at him, "oh, Harry darling! It's not going to hurt us, the glass has been charmed not to break! There's nothing to worry about!"

Still, Harry couldn't completely put away the frightening thought until he entered the common room and lost his breath at the lavish interior. While it was dark, illuminated by what Harry supposed were magical torches, the room gave off a green tinge that was both relaxing and mysterious. The lake he'd been dreading so much made the room feel like a secret hideout of pirates or adventurers-- it was a far cry from his dark and small cupboard, in fact they were two completely different things.

"See?" Pansy whispered to him, looking smug. "Pretty, isn't it?"

He nodded quietly, not trusting himself to say anything coherent for a while as he surveyed the room with his eyes, taking in everything. He could feel the magic pulsing within the walls and with the entrance to the _Slytherin_ common room (it was only for Slytherins, he reminded himself) closed behind him, he felt several miles away from his old life. It was undoubtedly the best feeling he'd had since coming to Hogwarts.

As he'd been too occupied with staring at just everything, Draco and Blaise had to drag him to their room. To Harry's surprise, Draco had enough influence on the rest of the first years that he got to choose his bed before anyone could (and no one questioned him about it, though Harry did notice a few sporting irritated looks). After Draco had been Blaise, then both had Harry choose one before the rest could scramble for the available beds left.

Though he was exhausted from the trip, Harry found himself curled by the window where he could observe the fish swimming by (and at one point, stubbornly peered into the dark depths as if it would make the infamous Giant Squid appear). There was a bright grin on his face which he didn't bother hiding, not when everyone else was asleep. He was pumped with excitement for this new life with people who he could call friends and a place he could call home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suddenly, it wasn't just Harry against Dudley-- it was Slytherin against Gryffindor.

For all his bright thoughts during his first night in Hogwarts several rooms and floors away from Dudley, Harry's unsettling thoughts concerning his cousin returned to him the moment he walked into the Great Hall for breakfast. He'd been fine as he kept up with Draco, Pansy and Blaise, listening intently to their conversation about their classes and magic, nothing was amiss until he saw the hall filled with students. The sudden thought of Dudley filled his mind for a moment, but that was all it took for Harry to suddenly turn quiet. 

"Something the matter, Harry?" Draco asked when Harry had fallen a step or two behind. A thin brow arched as he regarded Harry with some concern.

The brunette was quick to shake his head, "no, just...sleepy, I guess."

Draco shrugged as Blaise commented, "happens to us all. But some food should get you in shape for Herbology!"

"Herbology?" Harry repeated with curious blinking eyes, "d'you mean like plants?"

" _Magical_ plants," Blaise emphasized teasingly with a grin. Since the previous night, Blaise had been quick to make teasing but friendly-enough remarks about Harry's lack of magical knowledge. Harry hadn't minded, it was far less severe than what he'd gone through with the Dursleys but Blaise's teasing coupled with his wild thoughts had Harry inhaling deeply and turning slightly pale.

The grin fell from Blaise's lips as soon as he noticed that Harry had stopped walking and all three Slytherins turned to him. Draco wore a frown, Pansy a curious look as if trying to decipher some great mystery while Blaise looked troubled as if he'd done something wrong.

"Out with it, Harry," Draco insisted rather impatiently which easily reminded Harry of Dudley's impatience and tantrums.

When Harry clamped shut at the tone, Pansy rolled her eyes dramatically and playfully slapped both Draco and Blaise. "Gee, wait 'till Rita Skeeter hears of the two blokes who broke the Boy Who Lived!"

Draco shot her a glare whereas Blaise looked amused. The joke was lost on Harry, however and he began to chew on his lip unconsciously while trying to avoid looking at any of them. It was moments later when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Blaise smiling at him.

"It's not that scary at all, they won't be giving us venomous plants on the first day-- besides, if they do, you can just chuck it to that mudblood cousin of yours!"

"Wouldn't that be famous? He does deserve it, too," Pansy laughed and Draco huffed, smirking in agreement.

Somehow that was enough to calm him down to look less scared and to hide the fear eating at him. Harry returned the smile, though it was an awkward gesture as he rarely ever had to smile in all his years. The thought of throwing a black venomous mushroom at Dudley was quite funny and tempting that he chuckled before he could stop himself. His friends (and how new that word was to him) seemed to be appeased by his reaction and they continued towards their table.

They still had some time before their Herbology class and took their time with breakfast. Harry had felt sick earlier, waking up before dawn to throw out his dinner and with some regret and irritation, he realised his body wasn't used to eating so much food. He was resigned to slowly building up his appetite but that was particularly annoying because the food they served was good-- nothing like the cafeterias in his old school.

"Sticking to just toast, Harry?" Pansy inquired with some surprise.

Shyly, Harry admitted that he'd upset his stomach earlier. Draco frowned with distaste, "do they not feed you well, Harry? You're all skin and bones, to be honest."

Harry sucked in his lips, remembering that Uncle Vernon would beat him up for being ungrateful with the ample necessities they gave him. So he shook his head with a quiet answer, "I just don't eat a lot of good food."

"Muggle living is horrific! I don't know how you've survived, Harry," Pansy shook her head. "While the food Hogwarts serves is good, there are tons better food! One of these days, I'll take you to my favourite cafe and we'll eat all the cake we can!"

Draco rolled his eyes at Pansy, but wasn't averse to the idea in general. "She proves to have a point, Harry. We should take turns feeding you good food."

Despite the implication of Draco's words and the teasing tone he used, Harry felt his shyness catch up with him and he looked down, knowing his ears were flushed. He didn't want to lie to them, but he couldn't tell them the truth either. But he did feel warm and giddy from all the attention he was getting from his friends.

* * *

They headed out to their Herbology class afterwards and with Draco valuing promptness, they arrived before most of the other students and were able to take the spots beside each other. As other students filled in the greenhouse, Pansy whispered to Harry anything she knew about the students who entered. While Harry didn't understand half the things she'd been saying, he listened and nodded, quite intrigued at just how much Pansy knew about everyone else.

Finally, Dudley came in with the last wave of Gryffindors just making it on time. Without any other space, they were forced to take the front spots beside the teacher. Professor Sprout had begun the lesson on bouncing bulbs, after a quick lecture, she had the students plant their own tiny bulbs into their respective pots. 

"Now, make sure to put on your gloves, students and try not to get hit!" Professor Sprout said with a cheerful quip and watched as her students began to take their bulbs with some struggle.

Amongst them, Harry and Pansy seemed to be unluckily with their bulbs as they were quite energetic and would slip from their grasps. Blaise on the other hand, had the mildest bulb which wasn't adamant on escaping his grasp and it was irritating how he had successfully potted his bulb without much trouble. And there was Draco, who had taken a firm hold on his bulb after several failed attempts and held it in place on the pot as he filled it with soil.

Pansy's bulb would push away any soil she placed on the pot and as a result, had gotten herself quite dirty while Harry's bulb just refused to be held. Blaise had teased them for it while Draco quietly smirked beside Harry, watching with obvious amusement at his struggling friends.

"A little help would be appreciated, you know!" Pansy snapped, clenching her shovel as if she was restraining herself from pounding her bulb with it. "Blaise, would you please shut--"

There was a loud yelp from across the room, followed by a thudding sound of a body hitting group. Everyone's attention when towards the commotion and to Harry's mischievous glee, it was Dudley. His bulb had a rather strong bounce and had knocked him back when it hit him on the jaw. Harry tried not to laugh outwardly but Pansy didn't restrain herself from letting it out loud, and was followed by the rest of the students.

Professor Sprout didn't seem to be fazed though, as if she were used to such incidents but was still quick to assist Dudley back on his feet and after checking him for injuries, muttered a quick spell on the bulb to make it stop bouncing. Harry watched, unable to hide his smile, when Dudley glared at the bulb as if it offended him, at the teacher then at everyone else. He turned a shade of red much like how uncle Vernon was when angered--

" _Merlin,_ he looks like a roasted piggy!" Pansy teased loud enough only for her friends and a few other Slytherins could hear. Harry barked out a laughter, remembering how Hagrid had cursed Dudley when his cousin ate his cake--

The joy was immediately knocked out of him when his eyes met Dudley's and Harry broke off mid-laugh with fear thumping in his chest. He inhaled sharply, taking a step back in retreat only to bump back into Draco.

"Harry--?" The blond said thought his voice sounded distant as he placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry didn't notice when Draco glared across the room at Dudley nor did he notice when Pansy and Blaise followed the action as they stepped closer around Harry, showing a force of camaraderie Harry was unfamiliar to. He'd only realised after, when whom he assumed to be Dudley's friends glared back, lumbering beside his cousin. Despite the support he had, he felt too small and too scared--

"What are you looking at, little piggy?!" Pansy snapped, her voice slicing through the tension and adding more into it.

Harry's eyes widened in alarm, knowing that this might lead to brawl but before he could actually stop Pansy, he realised the other Slytherins had taken a firm stance behind him against Dudley. This act prompted the Gryffindors to do the same, putting the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws to spectate awkwardly on the side.

Harry inhaled deeply, his hands going damp as he looked around him. Why were the others...? He didn't even _know_ them and even Draco and the rest he'd only gotten to know for less than a day, surely that wasn't enough for them to risk punishment over him and his cousin?

"Says you, krup-faced Parkinson!" One of the Gryffindors retaliated with as much heat and suddenly, it wasn't just Harry against Dudley or vice versa-- with a hard gulp, Harry realised it was Slytherin against Gryffindor.

Pansy gave a shriek just as Draco took a step forward, his grey eyes turning cold as he regarded the Gryffindors, "is that the best you can do? You there, pig face, something caught your tongue? Or are you too stupid with all that fat leaving no space for your brain?"

The greenhouse had gone quiet at Draco's sharp words and even Harry couldn't believe it came from the mouth of his friend. A few other students, mainly Slytherins and Ravenclaws, snickered as the Gryffindors looked like they were about ready to tackle them down but Draco stood with that smug smirk, daring them to do just that.

"Students!" Professor Sprout's voice slide through the tension, with the intent to break it. The students turned to her, remembering that they weren't alone and Harry choked-- this all started because of him and everyone was in trouble for it. "I don't appreciate fighting in my class! Ten points from Gryffindor--"

The Gryffindors whined in protest, whilst the Slytherins looked smug about it.

"--and ten points from Slytherin!" She finished, casting a warning look at both parties as the Slytherins frowned at the deducted points. She let out a huff, "you may now resume with your activity and I don't want any further disturbances in my class! Once you are finished planting the bulbs, you may leave and I expect an essay about the different uses and effects of these bulbs by our class tomorrow!"

Everyone returned to their bulbs and the class eventually finished with less noise than earlier, with each house minding their own. Though Harry noted that silent glares were being thrown around, no one attempted to get a rise from each other anymore. For that, Harry was a bit thankful but he still felt like he'd been the cause of everything.

"Chin up, Harry," Blaise told him when he'd been staring at his bulb.

"But..." Harry looked down, feeling ashamed. "I didn't think...want anyone to get in trouble and even Pansy got mixed in it."

"Oh please, as if being called krup-faced would break me," Pansy rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder with Harry's. "I'm made of sterner stuff, Potter."

"Still..." Harry sighed heavily, "I didn't think...well, everyone suddenly stood together and it's really just something between my cousin and me."

"If you truly feel that way, Harry, we'd lay off," Blaise said with a confused frown.

"You looked like you were about to be sick," Draco frowned, crossing his arms over his chest and shot an icy glare at Dudley. "What kind of friends are we if we left you alone like that?"

"Didn't you know, Harry?" Pansy looked up, smiling and Harry couldn't help but be infected by it. "Slytherins value loyalty to each other. Unless you really want to go against your cousin alone, I'm afraid you're stuck with us."

Harry blinked and flushed as he stammered out, "th-thanks..."

"Merlin, you are such a Hufflepuff," Draco scoffed with a shake of his head. "We've to make a Slytherin out of you yet, Potter."

"We got the next seven years together, so be prepared, Harry!" Pansy laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've decided to bring the Dark Lord back and will be following the canon route. As for updates on this story, I can't make promises because I'm busy with college but I will try to update as frequently as I can.  
>    
>  Also thank you for the kudos and comments! I'll be answering them when I have more time later!

**Author's Note:**

> In the next and future chapters, the fic will primarily be told through Harry's perspective with more dialogue. Though I may change character point of views in the future but hopefully not too frequently.  
>    
>  Also at this point, I'm still unsure of how to proceed on the fate of Voldemort-- dead or canon rebirth. Anyhoo, comments, suggestions and whatnot are 100% welcomed and looked forward to!


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